Wednesday, 15 October 2014

Rhubarb, Blueberry and Honey No Churn Ice Cream

Summer has definitely left us. But in one last ditch attempt to revive those warmer moments I made some ice cream last week in the hope that the sun might just reappear to complement the experience of eating it.

Did the sun oblige? No! But the ice cream was so good, it no longer seemed to matter........ What might have been a hot weather refresher a few weeks back, has now become an eat from the tub, big spoon, snuggle in front of the TV comfort munch.......

The ice cream was made to use up the last of the garden rhubarb before it started to rot with the Autumn dew. The rhubarb ice cream I made a few weeks back had all gone, but had been so delicious, that more was being demanded. It seemed the logical solution to give the rhubarb a better purpose, and keep it from clogging up fridge space. Being a 'no churn' recipe also meant it would be a quick job, which is pretty much essential right now.

I didn't want to make exactly the same recipe again, so varied it slightly with the addition of some blueberries, pomegranate syrup and acacia honey. Smart move! This ice cream is even better than the original mix......

It is still rich, thick and very creamy and still has the wonderfully earthy tang of the rhubarb, but the blueberries add extra depth of flavour, a fruity bite from the pieces of berry that remain after cooking and turn the ice cream the prettiest pinky-purple!

The pomegranate and honey are swirled into the mix just before freezing, adding a mild and subtle honey-pomegranate back-note as you allow the ice cream to melt soothingly across your tongue.

The best way to eat this ice cream is in tiny spoonfuls, allowing the flavours to envelop your palate as it liquifies, so that they all dance together in harmony. It needs no 'dressing up' into sundaes and no smothering in sauces and sprinkles........ this ice cream is just perfect as it is. Truly divine and truly decadent.

I am offering my Rhubarb, Blueberry and Honey Ice Cream to a handful of challenges this month :

Next : Alpha Bakes hosted by Caroline Makes (with Ros from The More Than Occasional Baker). October's alphabet conundrum has come up with a very tricky 'I'....... I did consider Italian meringue, or could have knocked up something Indian...... I even considered just going for Icing or making some Halloween Eyes (ok...... the spelling isn't quite there)..... but in the end, I took the lazy route. I was already doing some Ice Cream, and rather than run out of challenge time again, figured this would be fine. Admittedly, there's not much baking here, but I checked back some old posts and ice cream seems to be allowed!

Simple & In Season with Ren Behan. The rhubarb is straight from the garden, although I am certain it will be the last I get this year!

Method

Place the cut rhubarb, blueberries, sugar and lemon juice in a saucepan and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Simmer until the rhubarb softens and breaks down (8 to 10 minutes). Add and stir in the vanilla extract and set aside to cool completely.

When cool, stir in the condensed milk and place in the fridge to chill.

In a chilled bowl, whip the double cream until it holds its shape in soft peaks.

Stir a spoonful of cream into the chilled rhubarb-blueberry mix to make it a little lighter and then gently fold in the remaining whipped cream.

Add and gently swirl in the honey and pomegranate syrup (if using).

Transfer the ice cream into a freezable container and freeze overnight to harden.

What a lovely colour and I like that it's pretty quick and easy to make - might be getting a bit cold for ice cream now but you could always serve this with a lovely hot pudding! Thanks for sharing this with Alphabakes.

You're really bombarding me with colours tonight and I'm loving all of them. I've made rhubarb and white chocolate ice-cream, but this one sounds heaps better - flavours dancing around my tongue has sold it to me.

I always find the amazing colour you get from natural cooking fascinating. I think I spend half my life banging on about the colour of food! This ice cream is just soooo easy and it has the most wonderful creamy texture. But I have to say this particular fruit combination is divine!

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